Apparatus for molding pulp articles



B. R. WILLIAMSON. APPARATUS FOR MOLDING PULP ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30. 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Fig.1.

.\nve,nTo1-. Ber? R.Williamson 3 7M WW B. R. WILLIAMSON. APPARATUS FORMOLDING PULP ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30. I919.

1 60,847. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- InvenTor. BerT RWiIliamson AITys.

' means to supply suitable pulp to-the 'the patent to UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

BERT R. wrLmA soiv, or FAIl IRFIELD, MAINE, ASSIGNOR '10 KEYE/S FIBRECOMPANY,

' or FAIBFIELD, MAINE, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR MOLDIN G PULP ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

Application filed September 30, 1919. Serial No. 327,543.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERT R. WILLIAMSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at F airfield, county of Somerset, State of Maine, and whosepost-oflice address is Fairfield, Maine, have invented an Im rovement inApparatus for Molding Pulp rticles, of which the following description,in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, likecharacters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to an apparatus for making articles such as pieplates and butter dishes from pulp. The general type of such apparatusis disclosed in the patent to Chaplin No. 1,186,647 anted June 13, 1916,and

Kg es No. 908,577 granted January 5, 1909 and comprises among otherthings a traveling mold, preferably a plurality of such molds, rotatingabout a central axis, the molds having a plurality of faces adapted toform the article between thelral, mo and means to press the moldrfacestogether at a point farther on in the travel of the mold, whereby thepulp which has been delivered to the mold is pressed into an article ofthe desired shape.

The present invention relates particularly to means for stopping thetraveling movement of the mold upon an improper action of the means topress the mold faces to ether. I I

Tn this type of apparatus the compression of the mold faces at a givenpoint in the travel of the mold is usuallyeffected by passing the moldwith its face closed upon the pulp between a pair'of rigid jaws, one ofwhich is provided with a movable compressor member or arm which acts to.engage the mold and travel with the mold, and compress it against theopposite jaw during the passage of the mold between the jaws. If thiscompressor member moves beyond a point from which it will return tostarting position it is liable to remain in such advanced position, andfurther operation of the apparatus will result in breakage of some oftheparts such as the stripping of gears or the smashing of the mold membersor their supports. 4

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and effectivemeans for stopping the operation of the travel of the molds or of theapparatus whenever this undesirable result occurs and thus protectingthe apparatus against injury.

The drawin s illustrate so much of an apparatus of t e type disclosed inthe patents above referred to as is necessary to a dlsclosure of thepresent invention.

In the drawin s Figure 1 is a ront elevation of an ap aratus such asshown in the patent to Chaplin above referred to.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partially in cross section of that portion ofthe apparatus concerned with the present operation, the view being takennormally to the plan of the said device.

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section taken on the line 3-3 Fig. 2.

It will be understood that the particular form of apparatus illustratedis for the purpose of disclosing a preferred form of the invention, butthat the invention is not to be limited in its scope thereto, norotherwise than as required by the claims.

The apparatus selected for disclosing the preferred form of theinvention is so fully set forth in the patents above referred to andprior patents that it is unnecessary to describe the apparatus indetail. It comprises a series of traveling molds each provided with twocomplemental separable mold faces adapted to form therebetween a dish orhollow article such as a pie plate. These molds are shown as mounted ona retary carrier, having a plurality of arms, one for each mold, and,the circular path of travel of the molds lies through a vat to whichliquid pulp is supplied. The faces of the mold separate before enteringthe pulp vat, and the pulp is supplied by the aid of suction to themold. pon leaving the vat the mold faces are brought together and thenenter the compressing device, which operatlng with a tremendous pressuresqueezes out mechanicallyalarge amount of water from the pulp and leavesthe articles n such shape that upon the subsequent openmg of the moldthey may be removed there-' from by the aid of compressed air, and asuitable pick-off device.

The pulp vat is connected to cross bars 1 resting upon the floor 2 andextends beneath the floor. These cross bars support the shafts turnlngabout the axis 3 which operate the traveling molds and the pick-oilmechanism compression is supplied. The molds are carried by a largespider like device comprising the ring member 4 provided at itsperiphery with the gear teeth 5. One member 6 of each mold is fixed tothe face of the ring member 4 while the other movable member 7 of eachmold is carried by an arm 8 which permits it to swing to and from thefixed member while partaking of the rotary traveling movement.

Brackets 9 and 10 extending vertically in front of and secured to thecross bar 1 support in suitable bearings a shaft 11. This shaft at oneend is provided with a beveled pinion 12 driving a beveled gear 13 torotate a shaft 14 which in turn is geared to the gear teeth 5 of thering member 4. At its opposite end the shaft 11 is provided with abeveled pinion 15 driving a beveled gear 16 for operating the pick-offmechanism. The shaft 11 may be driven in any suitable manner as by abelt 17 running on a pulley 18 fast to the shaft 11. A loose pulley 19is also provided on the shaft 11 by the side of the pulley 18 so thatthe machine may be stopped by shifting the belt 17 on to the loosepulley 19.

The compressing device is shown as of the typeillustrated in the patentto Keyes No. 908,577 above referred to and comprises two jaws 20 and 21which are preferably formed on a yoke shaped frame 22 preferably of ironor steel, hollow in form, and provided with a web 23 in the plane of thejaws so that it is capable of resisting the large pressure of many tonswhich is necessary for the operation of expelling the water from thearticles being molded. This compressing device for the reasons set forthin the said patent to Keyes No. 908,577 is located so that its plane, orthe plane in which the pressure takes place, is arranged radially to themold carrier and at an angle to the horizontal equal to that which themold must attain in its travel in order to have the water drain out fromthe draining chamber of the mold by gravity. The mold carrier or ringmember 4 travels through the compressing device with its face 24 ridingagainst a plurality of frusto conical rolls 25 arranged with their axesradial of the mold carrier and mounted in the jaw 20. The compression iseffected by a compression member or arm 26 universally and pivotallymounted in the jaw 21 and backed byheavy springs. This compressionmember at its free end is guided between suitable curved ways 27 and 28supported from the yoke shaped frame 22. When in its lowermost positionthe mold member 26 rests upon a buffer 29 at the bottom of the ways.

The operation of the compressing device is similar to that of a toggle.After the 'mold has received the pulp upon its face by passing throughthe tank it travels upwardly between the aws of the compressing deviceand as it enters these jaws it picks up the compression member so thatas the mold continues its travel between the jaws the compression membergives a tremendous pressure to the closed mold against the opposite jaw.As the mold passes out frontnbetween the jaws it leaves the compressionmember 26 which should thereupon drop back to its position on the buffer29 ready to act upon the next succeeding mold.

The compression member, however, may be carried to a position from whichit will not return or fall back to its lowermost position on the buffer.When this happens it will engage with the next succeeding mold or somemoving part of the machine locking the mold carrier and causing thestripping of some of the gears or the smashing of the mold supports orotherwise injuring the machine.

This invention provides a simple and effective means for preventingthese undesirable results and in the form shown provides means, whichacts to shift the belt from thefast to the loose pulley if and when thecompressor member or arm passes beyond a predetermined point in itstravel or beyond a point from which it will return to its lowermostposition. A simple and preferred form of means for securing this resultis illustrated.

A rod 30 is mounted to slide in bearings in the brackets 9 and 10 and isrovided with a fork 31 engaging the belt. t its opposite end it ispivoted at 32 to a hand operated lever 33 pivoted to a bracket 34mounted upon the floor or carried by the cross bar 1. A

spring 35 connected to the lever 33 and the cross bar 1 acts normally toshift the belt from the fast pulley 18 to the loose pulley 19. The beltshipper 30 is held locked against the tension of the spring 35 with thebelt on the fast pulley by means of a latch 36 recessed at its end tofit over an arm 37 extending upwardly from the belt shipper. Thismechanism is so arranged that the latch 36 is raised from engagementwith the arm 37 by the compressor arm if and when it passes beyond apredetermined point in its travel or beyond}; point from which it willreturn to starting position.

The latch 36 is secured to one end of a generally U shaped rockingmember 38 pivoted in bearings 39 on the side of the yoke shaped frame22. This rocking member is supported with the latch 36 in engagementwith the arm 37 by resting upon a projection 40 from the way 28. The endof the'rocking member is prolonged to form a stop member 41 to catch thearm 37 upon release by the latch when the belt shipper has been movedsufficiently to bring the belt on to the loose pulley. At its oppositeend the rocking member 38 extends adjacent the ways 28 and v 27 and hasadjustably secured thereto by the 1 bolts 42 a fee'ler 43 projecting inthe path of travel of the arm 26. ThlS feeler is so mounted and adjustedthat if the arm 26 at the conclusion of its travel in compressing themold passes beyond a (point necessary for that purpose, or beyon apredetermined point, or beyond a point from which it will return to itslowermost position it will, contacting with the feeler 43, rock therocking member 38, thus releasing the latch 36 an causing the belt to bemoved from the fast pulley 18 to the loose pulley 19 under'the action ofthe spring 35 thus stopping the operation of the machine.

The compressor arm may then be returned by hand to its lowermostposition and the machine re-started by throwing the hand lever 33 in theopposite direction against the tension of the spring 35 to bring thebelt back to the fast pulley and the arm 37 into engagement with thelatch 36, the upper end of the arm 37 being beveled or curved 218,111-dicated at 44 to cam the latch into place. c

Having thus described my inventionwhat I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. An apparatus for molding pulp articlescomprising a traveling mold formed of a plurality of separable moldfaces, means for effecting the travel of the mold, a'palr of jawsmounted transversely of the path of travel of the mold to allow the moldtopass between them, a compressor arm mounted in one of said jaws andacting to engage the mold and travel with the mold and compress the moldagainst the opposite jaw during the passage of the mold between thejaws, and means acting to stop the traveling movement of the mold uponthe passage of the compressor arm beyond a predetermined point in itstravel. j

2. An apparatus for molding pulp articles comprising a traveling moldformed of a plurality of separable mold faces, means for effecting thetravel of the mold, a pair, of jaws mounted transversely of the path oftravel of the mold to allow the mold to pass between them, a compressorarm mounted in one of said jaws and acting to engage the mold and travelwith the mold and compress the mold against the opposite jaw during thepassage of the mold between the jaws, and means actuated by thecompressor arm upon its movement beyond a predetermined point in itstravel to stop the traveling movement of the mold.

3. An apparatus for molding pulp articles comprising a traveling moldformed of a plurality of separable mold faces, means for effecting thetravel of the mold, a pair of jaws mounted transversely of the pathengage the mold and travel with the mold and compress the mold againstthe opposite jaw during the passage of the mold between the jaws, meansfor stopping the travel of the molds, and a latch for restraining theoperation of said stopping means positioned to be released by thecompressor arm if and when it passes in its travel beyond apredetermined point.

4. An apparatus for molding pulp articles comprising a traveling moldformed of a plurality of separable mold faces, driving means including abelt and a fast and a loose pulley for effecting the travel of the mold,a pair of jaws mounted transversely of the path of travel of the mold toallow the mold to pass between them, a compressor arm mounted in one ofsaid jaws and acting to engage the mold and travel withthe mold andcompress the mold against the opposite jaw during the passage of themold between the jaws, a belt shipper, means acting to move the beltshipper to shift the belt from the fast to the loose pulley, means forlocking the belt shipper in position to maintain the belt upon the fastpulley, and means for unlocking the belt shipper-if and when thecompressor arm passes inits travel beyond a predetermined P 5. Anapparatus for molding pulp articles comprising a traveling mold formedof a plurality of separable mold faces, means including a belt and afast loose pulley for effecting the travel of the mold, a pair of jawsmounted transversely of the path of travel of the mold to allow the moldto pass between them, a compressor arm mounted in one of said jaws andacting to engage the mold and travel with the mold and compress the moldagainst the opposite and a aw during the passage of the mold between thejaws, a belt shipper, means acting to move the belt shipper to shift thebelt from the fast to the loose pulley, means for looking the beltshipper in position to maintain the belt upon the fast pulley, and meansfor unlocking the belt shipper actuated by the compressor arm if andwhen it passes in its travel beyond a predetermined point.

6. An apparatus for molding pulp articles comprising a traveling moldformed of a plurality of separable mold faces, means for effecting thetravel of the mold, means acting to engage the mold and travel with themold and compress the mold during a given period in the travel of themold, and means acting to stop the traveling movement of the moldactuated by the compressing means if and when it moves beyond apredetermined point in its travel.

An apparatus for molding pulp articles comprising a rotatable ringmember, a

driving 7 I rable mold faces supported by and traveling &

with said ring member, means for rotating the ring member, a yoke shapedframe mounted transversely of the path of travel of the ring member toallow the molds to pass between its jaws, a compressor arm mounted inone of said jaws and acting to engage each mold and travel with the moldand compress the mold against the opposite jaw during the passage of themolds between the jaws, means for stopping the rotation of the ringmember, a latch pivotally mounted upon the yoke shaped frame having oneportion extending into the path of travel of the compressor arm andanother portion normally acting to restrain the means for stopping thetravel of the molds,

whereby upon the passage of the compressor arm beyond a predeterminedpoint in its travel the latch will be rocked to release the stoppingmechanism and effect the stopping of the rotation of the ring member.

8. An apparatus for molding pulp comprising the construction defined inclaim 7 in which the said latch is provided with an adjustable feelerextending in the path of travel of the compressor arm whereby the pointat which the latch releases the stopping mechanism may be adjusted.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

BERT R. WILLIAMSON

